The Prodigy and the Pupper
by Keruha Digifox
Summary: All Joey wished was to be better than that Seto Kaiba. Now, with a restuarant fight and a spin of the chessboard his dream has come true... Kind of. Now he's not only stuck with a corporation but complaints from an angry CEO stuck with his body. Great...


Oh my gosh… Not another overused idea in my own style. I need to get some of my more original stories up like Choking on Bombs or something. Ah well… I still hope you like it and sorry I've dropped out from writing weekly. Just couldn't keep up. Especially now since I have honors chemistry which is trying to kill me with equations. The molar conversions… They burn!!!

-cough- Um… Yeah… I admit some of that was laziness where we roleplayed how my Zafara, Setosamu got zapped by Boochi and the Labray multiple times. And right now he's a mew… with a lunchbox… beating up a Gengar…

For reference… Zafara's are © Neopets. Gengars and Mews are © Pokemon.

Also, I want to warn you that this is the first time I uploaded a story without it being thoroughly checked by somebody else. I usually have somebody else check them before I upload my stories but it has become too long and hard to do. In other words I will be checking my own stories from here on, aside from special occasions. Since I'm not the best writer I hope they're not too bad without revising. Ah well…

Okay on with the story but first… Disclamer…

No, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or the characters. But the characters don't belong to you either unless your name is Gosho Aoyama so nyah!

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"Come on…" quivered the voice as the eyes above it, the eyes of a prize hungry wolf, watched the prey for a chance to pounce. Every muscle in his body was tensed to the toughness of solid stone and his eyes sprouted veins of red from their roots. It was only a matter of time now, before the final decision of life or death upon him was made. To brace himself for the worse is all he had in stock now. The countdown began in his mind… 10… 9… 8…

"Okay, seriously man, you need to cool it!"

"Huh?" Like a gallon of water poured down onto the sturdy cardboard, the predator released his muscles and stared at this stranger. Which… actually… wasn't a stranger at all. There were two calm brown eyes of a friend staring at him in scorn. However, there was a sparkle found in them that could lead to an air horn of laughter in no time flat.

"It's a raffle. You don't have to get so worked up about it," the guy told him now letting loose some of that pent up humor through little snickers.

"Yeah, says who?" the blonde one retorted. To say the truth, he wasn't more than happy to be interrupted doing one of his more important things. It didn't get that much better though when his friend continued poke at him.

"KSD is a popular radio station. Thousands of people probably have entered it. With that in mind I'd say your chances of winning are… One in a million… You shouldn't waste your strength tensing over those ratios," the person laughed.

"But I have to get that car! Didn't you see it? It's like a Lamborghini except ten times cooler!"

"It is a Lamborghini!"

"Shut up!" The blonde turned his full focus back to the small radio. It was set up on a counter, random clothes and junk crowded around it. His ears opened as the names began to construe out of the aluminum mesh, each hitting his drums without familiarity.

"Konoha Jake… Aoyama Yuki… Mori Ran…" it announced. With every name called it more of his hope was sapped away leaving a hole that could only be filled with more tension. This continued until the two golden words were said…

"Joey Wheeler…" it announced sending the blonde's heart skyrocketing, "Congratulations, first prize win-

"YES!!!!!!!!" Joey cheered pumping a fist into the air. He took no time afterwards to shove it in his doubtful partner's face. "Heh heh… I guess this means I'm one in million, eh? Lamborghini here I-"

"And now for the **_grand priz_e** winner and proud new owner of this fabulous Lamborghini..." the speaker cracked.

"… Wha?" Joey choked.

"And this fabulous Lamborghini goes toooooo……" continued the voice, drawing suspension for hundreds miles around, "Weevil Underwood!"

"WHAT!?" Joey screamed in horror.

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Meanwhile on the other side of town…

The green haired bug geek had been listening on to this raffle and grinned sinisterly at the call of his name. "Hah, its about time I got something worthwhile from all this," he screeched… er… snickered.

"No way…" his dinosaur obsessed friend gasped. He turned to look at weevil as though he were his new master. "Um… You'll still let me ride in it… Won't you…" he asked nervously with hope. The bug-boy just grinned with a crooked smile.

"Hm… Let me think… Mm… NO! Hahahahaha!!!" Just then as the wonderful world of karma would have it.

"Congratu-Wait… Hold on a minute… OH NO! I am terribly sorry. There was a smudge on the card…"

"Eh?"

"The REAL grand prize winner for this fabulous vehicle is… WEEVIL UNDERWEAR!!! Congratulations!"

There Weevil stood, at the verge of having a seizure.

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"Oh, thank god…" Joey sighed, covering his chest with his hand.

"Thank you all for entering. We will be sending your prizes shortly via mail so make sure to keep an eye on that mailbox. Until next time this is KSD DJ, Sandra, signing out."

Joey stood silent, gazing at the radio distantly. A new voice had replaced the contest announcer, the official sign that the results had been carved in stone and the raffle was over. "Well… I guess it's better than nothing," he eventually sighed, "What was the prize for first place anyway?"

His friend shrugged, "Uh, you were the one who entered the contest."

"…… …… …… …… AGH!"

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**1** - Why Dogs Should Avoid Dragons - **1  
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Joey sped down the street, fresh morning air rushing into his face. He was seated on top of a large bike finished with beautiful metallic red coat. Although little scratches and dents had taken their toll here and there, it still remained the transportation of choice to run his daily part-time job.

Today was proving to be one of his better days out in the alleys and streets. The sun had left his ride at a wonderful temperature that not even the absent wind could snatch away. It was smooth sailing all throughout the morning and every doorstep that flew by him received a little white package of black ink tied with a rubber ribbon. The daily headline of course. It was his sole duty to make sure the important day-to-day events and announcements reached the eyes of every man and women residing in the city. Well… About one twentieth of them at least.

Being paperboy wasn't the most flattering job out there of course but it still had its benefits, all to which Joey needed to keep his own apartment room, feed himself, and various other things. Yep, life didn't get much better than this. Then again, who really needed seven automobiles, three theater large TVs, and a personal pool to be happy? Bare basics were all you really needed to be happy. That plus a few great friends.

Without even looking the delivery boy tossed aside another newspaper onto the front lawn of another house, a familiar one of which he despised. The owner of this house had been complaining for some time now asking why the daily print never reaches her doorstep. Well…

"4… 3… 2… 1…" Joey counted out flatly, as he sailed on down the road.

"HARUFF!!!!" In seconds flat the innocent newspaper met its destiny between the shredding, metal-cold, jaws of a monster Joey liked to call…

"Stupid dog… Chewing up my newspapers…" Mumbling he continued down the lane, "I swear if that lady comes in one more time complaining about her newspaper that dog is going to get it… somehow…" Of course, REALLY bringing down that dog would be quite the task. Old Lady Ellis's little "Munchkins" was a 3 foot tall, clamp-muzzled, bulldozer of death. Any stranger who dared to question the ruthless-yet-stupid guardian's abilities would quickly be taken care of. It would only take one little spat and the challenger would be left in the hospital for weeks. Rabies shots and all.

Obviously, the dog was no threat to Joey though. Locked behind those bars it couldn't do anymore damage to him than a fly could. That's not to say however, that the mutt hadn't caught him off guard multiple times by his sudden barking frenzies. It even nearly succeeded in getting him ran over one time. That was a long time ago though, when he first started the route. By now, Joey had became familiar with his route's every nick, turn, and cranny.

He swerved around a corner after his last delivery for the neighborhood and it was on to the next. This neighborhood wouldn't quite be classified as a neighborhood, however. It was more like a street with one GIGANTIC lawn taking up the entire lane. An eight-foot tall barricade of pure brick and iron stood around the perimeter of it as its own 'Keep off the Grass' sign. It was no wonder though, because inside there stood a beautiful three-story mansion with velvet drapes and personal swimming pool.

Usually, in the presence of a mansion as utterly gorgeous as this one, people would stop to stare and envy its superiority. Joey on the other hand, as he sped by, tossed the newspaper as hard and angrily as he could. As it flew through the air he eagerly watched it waiting for it to land in that one perfect spot. However, it wasn't his lucky day as it landed with thump on the driveway only inches away from a magnificent water fountain.

"Darn it," the high school student whined. He had just missed the bull's eye, which in this case was not the doorstep like many would assume, not at all. It was that structure sitting right parallel to the mansion's doorstep, spouting water into the sky. Slightly dismayed at missing his special shot for another day, the blonde made a U-turn. That was the end of his paper route. Time to turn back in and get his daily wage before heading off to the place were all teenagers like him must go… school…

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"So Joey, how was the paper route today, didn't get caught up with any dogs did you?" teased a familiar face, the same one that doubted the delivery boy on the day of the contest.

"You're thinking about a mailman oh-smart-one." Joey's statement didn't make its mark though without another, smoother and more feminine, voice countering it.

"That's only in cartoons and unoriginal fanfictions you guys," the girl sighed, lowering the hardback to reveal a set of deep sea blue eyes.

"Unless you count Old Lady Ellis's 'little puppy'. That dog needs to get neutered or something," Joey added. His doubter raised a curious eyebrow.

"Huh? I thought it was already neutered," he said.

"Yeah, that's what it WANTS you to think."

These familiar people Joey conversed with were none other than two of his best friends, Tristan and Tea. They were the ones Joey looked forward to seeing everyday, and maybe even the reason he bothered getting up each morning to deal with life. If nothing else they sure made school heck of a lot easier on the nerves. Nevertheless, they weren't alone to support him, as there was one more...

A small baby faced student with eyes as large as his spiked hair was soon found to have joined them. "Hey guys, what's up?" he greeted merrily. This student was extremely small for his age. If you didn't think twice you'd think he was much younger. Still, due to the fame he had received over the past few months, the game master hadn't been troubled by anything like that recently. That's not including the other little problems that came with being well known though.

"Oh hey, Yug," Joey calmly complied with smile.

"So Joey, has your prize from the raffle shown up yet," his friend asked.

"Nah, not yet. I wish it would hurry up already though. I can't stop thinking about what it could be," he answered leaning against the outer brick wall of the school, "Of course that wouldn't be the case if SOMEBODY was listening."

"Oh, so now it's my responsibility to make up for the brains you lack," Tristan replied smartly with a grin. Of course, he was only teasing. And with some body like Joey around it was something he tended to do rather often. So often you'd think Joey would be use to it by now, but still he played along like a puppy at playful tug.

"Hey, watch it pal," he answered holding in a humored tone.

"Seriously man, it was YOUR raffle," the horned teen reminded him once more and Joey was at a loss for anything witty to combat it with. It was all fun and games nevertheless, so there wasn't really anything to lose at the moment.

Now as we all know life isn't filled with rainbows and butterflies… Well… It can be if you lived in Munchkin land, but in the blonde delivery boy's case, Domino wasn't such a place. For everything blissful you got your downs, for everything super you have your sorrows, and for every friend you have your enemies. To break things down, Joey had met his share of enemies in his life. Ones who tried so very hard to make his place in the world no better than a cockroach sitting on a rotten fruit. Still, as mean and competitive as many of them were, none of them had really succeeded putting this identity onto Joey. As a matter of fact, most of his enemies found themselves eating their own words… Except one…

He was a person that no matter how hard Joey tried to beat he couldn't…

He was the guy who always remained ten times more successful than he was…

He was that ruthless jerk that took no guilt in bringing Joey down to his knees…

And his name was… Seto Kaiba.

"Perhaps you should take Wheeler to a vet. Maybe the dog has an ear infection," the new vocal pitch emerged. It was a dark one with humor strung in its icy core, but this wasn't the good type of humor though. It was sinister and mocking, belonging to one of whom enjoyed toying with people who couldn't match up to his 'greatness.'

This intruder stood a fair distance away from the group but not so far as to not be heard. His lanky, towering, body was dressed in a navy blue school uniform, pressed, ironed, and neatly buttoned as a finishing touch. Out of the corner of his eye a frozen pupil was locked onto Joey and his friends. As though he acknowledged the group's presence but a high ego inflated through fame and money kept him from giving his full attention. He didn't even hold the little attention he was giving for long, because destination was far more important to him than knocking down an 'amateur's' fake self-esteem… all of which teed Joey off all the more.

"HEY!" Joey yelled angrily, wasting not a second before charging after the speaker of the insult. Although his friends tried to halt him before he did anything foolish they couldn't stop the blonde in time before he cut around the teenager in blind rage. "What makes you think you can just waltz right over here and insult me, rich punk!"

The brunette was slightly irritated by this 'lowly' being who dared to separate him from his errands, but only slightly. His mouth formed into a crooked smirk staring down at his opponent… No… not opponent… a bug in his path. To him, Joey was like one of those black stink beetles you could normally see crossing a road or in the park. The kind of beetle that would act tough when faced with an enemy, no matter how big or strong they were, or maybe it was the fact they were just too dumb to see the difference. In the end, all it took was a flick of the finger to leave them helplessly kicking and clawing on their backside.

"And what makes you think I can't?" he replied. Instantly, Joey roughly grabbed the collar of that seemingly untouched navy uniform and glared into the eyes of the beast.

"ONE, I'LL KICK YOUR BUTT!" he spat in his face as threateningly as possible. Still, there were no signs of change in those empty blue eyes.

"Oh really," he mocked still calm as ever while his opponent slowly grew on his rage. Then suddenly Joey was taken by surprise. Swift as a jaguar his hostage clutched the wrist of the hand, released it from his collar, and threw it, along with the rest of Joey, onto the muddy ground.

"AAAAHHHHH!!!!" FWUMP!

"Hm… For some reason I don't see that happening."

"Ah! Joey, are you okay," Yugi said rushing over to aid with the rest of the group in tow.

"Geez, you think you would know by now, man," Tristan added helping Joey to his feet.

"Gr… Kaiba… you…" Joey growled but Seto was already found walking around him to get on his way. There was no eye contact, response, or anything until he stopped a ways ahead of them.

"Oh, by the way, Wheeler. You should try working on your aim," he said. The CEO tossed a familiar newspaper over his shoulder to flop at Joey's feet. "Dogs are supposed to make sure the daily headline gets _directly_ to their master's feet."

"WE'LL SEE HOW DIRECTLY THAT PAPER GETS TO YOU WHEN I SHOVE IT UP YOUR-"

"Okay Joey, easy…" Tristan said holding Joey back from starting round two.

"Hmph…" was the last thing left in Seto before he departed from the group, leaving them, particularly Joey, in the pathetic state he molded them into. The blonde's eyes didn't leave Seto as he grew farther and farther away, though. His hands were curled into quivering balls of fury, ready to strike the next thing that gave a hint of more insult. Alas, fortunate or not, there was nothing he could take the rage out on. After a few deep breaths and some comforting words from his friends the tightened joints relaxed, but the sting of anger and hatred still remained in his head. They were the two things that would take a little longer to sooth.

The bell soon rang. "Come on, let's just head to class… Forget about this…" Yugi suggested knowing Joey hadn't shaken off the completely anger yet. He simply nodded in response, somewhat distantly though.

"Yeah…"

This rival-ship between Joey and Seto was nothing new. Several times they exchanged insults, but in the end Kaiba was always the winner. Yet, no matter how many times the process was repeated Joey never gave in to his enemy and continued his attempts in challenging the millionaire every chance he got. This fight was no different than the rest and of course, he'd get over it quickly. However, time after time can slowly build up on the mind. There would be a breaking point eventually… but Joey was using everything in his power to prevent it.

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_In a rival-ship, life's a chessboard. You're the black king, your pawns are your actions. The opposing force, your opponent, is the white king. In his shining but not righteous glory he casts his pawns to overcome your moves, slowly waiting for the point to get you at his mercy. This game has been on for several months now. Each month and each move taking a toll out of your plastic army, but the foe patiently sitting across from you still has their every piece. _

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Other than the encounter with Seto, the day smoothly slid by for Joey. It was a daily rinse, lather, and repeat, routine. First, second, and third period classes in the morning, lunch, then fourth and fifth period classes in the afternoon. Also like most days, after all the teaching was over he hung around after school a little bit to play duel monsters with his friends. That went by rather quickly as well. Before he knew it, the morning humiliation was nothing but a distant memory and he was back at the apartments of where this day started.

It was homey place really, aside from a few cracks, messes, and umm… Bugs… Now before he headed up to his cozy if not somewhat messy little room he had on the third floor he made sure to check his mailbox. Obviously, by living in an apartment with several dozen others, his mailbox was nothing more than a little slot with a door and lock. It was quite handy and easy to get to. Until you lose the key, which takes at least five hours just to find at his place.

Normally, he didn't find himself checking this little box everyday. He'd perhaps check it every week or so, but for the most part he usually ended up forgetting he even had a mailbox. As you can guess that didn't work too well with rent and taxes. The last few days had been an exception though. All those days he wrenched open the metal slab eager to find a special note, with his special prize, only to find bills and other junk he could care less about. Today was not that day, though. It had finally arrived.

A grin grew on his face, seeing the glorious white envelope reading congratulations sitting there in his hands. Hungry as a wild animal he shredded the paper and flicked out the note inside. His brown eyes sparkled reading the black ink that, in his excitement, turned to gold. However, it wasn't so much reading as it was skimming. His eyes were darting around, searching for the key words to would reveal whereabouts of his prize and there they were.

'Your prize has been concealed within this note… Thanks for playing and may your day be without disappointment…'

"YES!" Joey let out. He dug around the envelope until his finger caught onto a tiny slip. "And behind prize door number one is…" he said mimicking a game show to build up his own suspension. Slowly he slid the slip out of its hiding place to reveal a magnificent, amazing, heart stopping… "WHAT!? FREE RESERVATIONS FOR SOME RESTAURANT!?"

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Why are the introduction chapters always the hardest to write? Ugh… I tried to crack a few humorous parts but I need an idea zapper or something. Well… I think the chapters that are to come will make that up. I know when I was cowriting this for ideas and fun with a friend I couldn't stop laughing at several parts.

Anyway, review or else you will go to bed guilty that you didn't tell a random author how you felt about this story… That or you will go to bed thinking about how well you did on your quiz and wondering when your friends are going to come over tomorrow, completely forgetting this whole entire chapter and anything that has to do with it… And chances are that will be the majority… Oh well… Favorite it, watch it, or review if you actually have time to click the little buttons.

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i!** 2 - **NEXT CHAPTER** - 2 **!i  
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Wow… didn't Joey get lucky? Free reservations to the ritziest, fanciest, restaurant in town, and all the other first place raffle winners are there as well! Unfortunately, I don't think Joey is considering this good luck, even with his best buds enjoying the dishes with him. Nothing can stop round two of the chessboard rivalry when Seto shows up once again with dinner plans of his own. Looks like lasagna will fly, tables will be tipped, and lobsters will be used as a weapon of choice. Oh dear… What will happen when the manager finds out?

_"It had happened… Something so remarkably incredible, the entire room fell silent to observe this astonishing feat… or more likely… this death wish… There, Joey was left speechless, mouth wide open, and his arm still frozen after the throw. He looked from his hand that delivered the striking blow, then to his opponent, and back again. In that fancy velvet cushioned chair his rival was now sitting extremely still, unsure whether it was safe to move or not. Although nobody could see that face now hidden by the restaurant's secret sauce it was not hard to guess what was going through the CEO's mind."_

Next time on The Prodigy and the Pupper… Everybody was Kung Pau Fighting…

OH! And before I forget…

**THANK YOU SPOOKI FOR HELPING ME WITH THE STORY NAME!**


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